Monday, November 21, 2011

As I mentioned last week, I made the cake for a friend's four year old's birthday this weekend. The party was at the Rare Hare Art Studio in Normal Heights, a super-cool space for art classes and parties for kids and grownups alike. I'll let Jora tell you more about it, but I thought I'd share a few shots, and of course, let you know how the cake turned out!

Party guests - appropriately attired. :)

The birthday girl had requested vanilla cake, and I went searching for a new recipe since up until now, I haven't really found one I like all that well. This one from Bakerella fit the bill. I didn't have White Lily flour, which she said she had used, so I used a combination of two cups regular self rising flour and one cup of cake flour with one teaspoon of baking powder mixed in. The cake was tender but rich, and I really liked the flavor. I made my usual cream cheese frosting and tinted it pink, since I wanted it to look just like it does in her picture. :) I also upped the recipe by half so that I could fill three 9 inch cake pans.

There can never be too much pink on a four year old's birthday cake. At least that was my theory. :)

The decorations are fondant - that was the fun part. I had a grid mat and a little rolling pin, and cut them out with an exacto knife, pizza cutter and piping tip (the large end.) Funny thing - while I was making the decorations in the kitchen, James and my nieces were watching Romeo + Juliet in the living room - the modern version with Leonardo di Caprio and Clare Danes. Everytime I look at those teepees on the side of the cake I hear Shakespearean dialogue in my head.

The gifts from myself and the girlies - I could have happily kept them myself!

I picked up these gifts at the store at their school - the Snake and Lily. Are they the cutest or what?? I had wanted to get her a little Indian girl, but she already had one - so I contemplated whether to get the brave, or a mama with a papoose - luckily, she got the mama and papoose from someone else - so she has the whole set now. :)

such an amazing cake for such a sweet girl. i wish you were closer to la so i could bribe you into making one for my little one elodie's birthday in two weeks!! i'm sure i'll be sharing pictures of a lopsided rainbow cake soon enough. ;)